


Apart From Your World

by sweetcarolanne



Category: The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Break Up, Evil, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Lovers to Friends, Magic, Misses Clause Challenge, Monsters, Music, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Romance, Singing, Transformation, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-30 10:36:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5160620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetcarolanne/pseuds/sweetcarolanne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>King Triton manages to bring Ariel and Eric together, at a steep price. But everything doesn't quite go according to the plan...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Apart From Your World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Siremele](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siremele/gifts).



> Dear recipient, I hope this was something along the lines of what you wanted. It was lots of fun to write as this is one of my fave canons!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, they are just playing with me! I am making no money from this, so suing is a waste of time!
> 
> Many thanks to my beta, who wishes to remain anonymous.

His wish would soon be granted, he realized, but first he had to pay the price.

What he now had to do was weighing heavily on King Triton’s heart and conscience, but deep down he knew that he had no other choice. It was either this, or seeing his beloved daughter Ariel desperately unhappy for the rest of her life.

After his enraged destruction of Ariel’s precious collection of human artefacts, he had hoped that Ariel would be suitably chastened and forget her silly notions about being in love with a human. Contact between merpeople and humans was justifiably forbidden, and Triton had been convinced that Ariel was simply in the throes of a childish infatuation. But days passed, then turned into weeks and months, and still Ariel seemed despondent. Seeing his sweet child in such a state was more than the King could stand. He decided that he had to take action before Ariel’s pining made her ill, or worse.

Triton knew that he had the power to turn his daughter from a mermaid into a human, but he also knew that in doing so, he would – for the most part – lose her to the human world. She would live among the people of the land, with their clumsy movements and their voices that were so inferior to those of the sea-folk, adopting their customs and dress and beliefs. Spending all her time amongst arcane trinkets like the ones she had hidden in her grotto, would she come to despise the world beneath the ocean, and everyone and everything she had loved there? The King could not even bear to consider the prospect of something so dreadful.

The alternative spell, however, was one that Triton, despite all his might and skill in the magical arts, could not perform. For its success, it was necessary to harness a darker magic than Triton, whose powers were based in light and goodness, was capable of wielding. There was an element of surprise and non-consent involved in such an enchantment, and so it was essential to come a little closer towards the path of evil to achieve the desired end. The King realized from the very beginning that he must undertake the approach to the only being who could accomplish the spell by himself – he could not entrust this dangerous task to even his most loyal servants.

Triton had had no other option than to seek the help of the sea-witch. 

Ursula’s eyes were fairly gleaming as she saw King Triton approaching. Flanked by her repulsive minions, the moray eels Flotsam and Jetsam, she floated with her many tentacles spiralling around her, a twisted smile of sly triumph on her face. 

“So, you’ve come at last,” she almost purred, undulating at the entrance to her lair with a seductive grace that served only to make her appear more menacing. “Have you brought the payment we agreed upon?”

Triton barely managed to repress a cold shudder as he solemnly answered, “I have.” He reluctantly offered her the small object he held in his hands – a miniature cage fashioned from coral and crystals with a tiny creature floating inside, and Ursula snatched it eagerly. 

Translucent and bright as a star, the animal appeared at first glance to be a baby octopus. Its minute tentacles, diminutive versions of Ursula’s own, writhed and pushed aggressively against the bars that held it captive. Flotsam and Jetsam swam closer, curious, and were met with a massive squirt of cloudy black ink, and what sounded distinctly like a raspberry, from the little cephalopod. Glaring evilly, they hissed and withdrew to lurk behind their mistress.

“Excellent!” Ursula pronounced, with another hideous smile. “She’s absolutely perfect. Now don’t be jealous, boys, she’s going to be the newest member of our little family.” Two of the witch’s flexible lower limbs stretched out to pull Flotsam and Jetsam forward again and pet them reassuringly, although the eels still looked none too pleased.

Triton heaved a massive sigh, beginning to regret what he had done – but there was no turning back now. This was for Ariel’s sake, after all. Perhaps everything would not be as bad as he feared – Ursula did seem to be quite affectionate towards the little caged beast…

The sea-witch reached with another supple tentacle back into the depths of her lair and pulled out a corked bottle that seemed to be filled with a viscous orange liquid.

“I believe this is what you came for? On the night of your darling little daughter’s next singing recital, just pour this into the water near the castle where the human prince lives, and you shall see what you shall see!”

Ursula smiled once more, or rather smirked in a decidedly evil fashion, and Triton was left wondering once again if he was in fact doing the right thing.

-//-

On the night of Ariel’s recital, the sky was lit by the brilliance of stars and a very full moon.

Prince Eric could not tell why, but something was compelling him to go down to the seashore that night. To get out of bed and dress hurriedly, then slip out of the palace in secret to the place where placid waves lapped at the sand and a trail of moonlight gleamed across the water like a shining path.

From somewhere near those shadowy depths, he heard the beautiful voice that had been haunting his dreams for what seemed like forever. The voice he had heard when he had been saved from drowning, the sweet, melodic tones of his mysterious and lovely rescuer.

The girl he longed for was real, she was out there, and she was calling to him! Perhaps she was in a little boat not far away, or was she swimming in the gentle waters? Eric somehow knew that he had to swim out and find her.

He should have felt a sense of danger in these odd circumstances, but the voice that urged him forward was hypnotic. Like an enchantment, an irresistible spell, it led him onwards and he slipped into the sea. 

The waves around Eric gradually became swifter and choppier, and a strange orange tinge, like flame or sunset, began to glow at their crests. A faint scent of ash and brimstone assailed Eric’s nostrils, and the sweet sounds of singing died away, replaced by the echoes of an eerie chanting sound. The voice was still female, but deeper and more resonant, and Eric was suddenly seized with fear.

He struggled to swim back to shore, but a subtle undertow had him in its grip and the prince felt himself being pulled beneath the water. Fighting to kick his legs against the tide, he found it impossible to move them; it was as if they had fused into one mass. 

The vivid blaze of orange began to spread all about him, and the noxious, sulphurous stench became thicker. Around Eric, the water seemed to bubble and fizz as if boiling, and the undertow became a whirlpool that spun him in vicious, dizzying circles as it dragged him further down.

As he lost consciousness, the last thing that Eric heard was the booming laughter of that strange, disembodied female voice.

-//-  
Ariel sat on a massive flat piece of underwater rock near what had once been her grotto, looking every bit as dejected as she felt. Her young heart was far heavier than it should have been, for she was grappling with what seemed to be the deepest disappointment she had ever known. 

“Really, there’s nothing worse than getting what you want and finding out that you don’t want it after all – or that it wasn’t worth all that wanting in the first place,” she said to herself, and frowned.

She heard a tiny swish of fins, and looking up for a moment, Ariel saw her dear friend Flounder hovering nearby, looking very worried.

“You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?” Flounder quavered, his tail trembling a little. 

Ariel sighed and nodded. “I don’t really want to talk about it right now. But you can stay here if you want. It helps to not be alone, if you know what I mean.”

“I understand,” said Flounder, and swam closer, nuzzling her hair gently as he let her know he was there for her without uttering a single word. Ariel actually managed to smile a little at this unselfish gesture of support

“Thanks, Flounder,” Ariel whispered, before becoming lost in her own thoughts again.

In the beginning, it had seemed so wonderful, having Eric with her under the sea. He made a very handsome merman, and he had been absolutely smitten with her beauty and her voice. But then, step by imperceptible step, everything had begun to change. 

Ariel had been so devoted and attentive to Eric, acting as his guide to the underwater world, sharing with him her knowledge of its pleasures and its dangers alike. He had been at first resistant to living in this undersea realm, wanting to find a way back to his former life, and then so charmingly clumsy and confused as he gradually accepted what had happened to him. He knew nothing at all about the ways of the merpeople, but he had been very quick to learn. 

One year later, Ariel wondered if perhaps he had been a little too quick to learn.

Being musically talented himself – he had played an instrument back in his own world, after all – Eric had thrown himself wholeheartedly into the recitals that court composer Sebastian delighted in organizing. He could not get enough of singing and swaying around swooshing his graceful merman tail. Although Sebastian initially thought of Eric’s voice as being of lesser quality than a natural-born merman’s, and had begun their working relationship by relegating Eric to the chorus, with much rolling of eyes and dramatic clapping of claws to his forehead in exaggerated frustration, it soon became clear that the crab was very happy with his new pupil. 

Eric diligently attended every rehearsal (while Ariel would still rather skip them and go exploring sunken ships in search of human artefacts with Flounder) and soon had improved his singing so dramatically that he was promoted to doing a duet with one of Ariel’s sisters, Alana. 

Ariel could not help but feel that Eric was spending a lot more time with Alana than was necessary for rehearsing their song. And ever since Eric had become a singer in earnest, he had started to treat Ariel as if she were a child, someone who was irresponsible and flighty for preferring to play rather than practice her vocals. His conduct towards her was still caring and sweet, but a tad too condescending for Ariel’s liking.

Something was missing in their relationship – the deep and loving connection that Ariel had ached for had not occurred. Perhaps Eric blamed Ariel for the predicament he was in, although he was too kind to even hint at anything of the sort. Or perhaps he was not the person Ariel had originally supposed him to be.

It was as if Eric had lost something precious, some vital part of himself that Ariel had dearly loved and was mourning the loss of. And in a way, he had. In embracing life as a merman, Eric was now lacking his… humanity.

“Flounder?” Ariel turned her head to look at her friend, with a touch of sadness still in her eyes, but with a serene expression on her face.

“Yes, Ariel?” The little yellow and blue fish swam around to the other side of the rock, circling the mermaid, eyes full of concern.

Ariel twitched her tail fins and ran her fingers through her long red hair thoughtfully. “I don’t think I’m in love with Eric any more. I mean, I still like him – who knows, he could end up being my brother-in-law one day – but what bothers me is, he’s been through all of this, and now – I think we were never really in love with each other in the first place.” 

“You do? Why’s that?” the curious Flounder asked, turning to circle around in the other direction, his small fins moving very fast.

Ariel sat up straight upon the rock, uncurling her tail. 

“I think – part of why I was drawn to Eric is because he was human. And you know that I’ve always been fascinated by humans. He was different and exciting and from a strange new world that isn’t anything like this one. And as for him – he seemed more obsessed with my voice than anything else.”

“Maybe you’re right,” said Flounder, and ceased swimming in circles for a moment. “You don’t seem to have very much in common any more. He doesn’t ever want to come with us and have fun!”

“But we can still go and have fun without him!” Ariel suddenly declared, and tried her best to smile at Flounder. “We can do exactly what we want. Come on – let’s go and find something amazing to do, right now, just you and me. And I promise – no sharks this time!”

“That’s the spirit, Ariel!” enthused Flounder, wiggling his tail in excitement. And the two of them began their journey towards adventure.

As they swam, Ariel actually smiled again, much more convincingly this time. “You know something, Flounder? You’re not such a guppy after all. In fact, you’re the best friend a mermaid could ever have!”

If it had been at all possible for fish to blush, then Flounder would have been doing so at that very moment. “Aw, shucks!” he chuckled, and darted back and forth at a frenetic pace until Ariel actually started giggling.

Life was too good to waste sitting around and feeling gloomy, Ariel decided then and there. She was still only seventeen, so very young yet, and there was plenty of time ahead to find love. 

Perhaps she would one day find another human, or the love of her life would be someone from amongst the sea-folk. But in the meantime, she was just going to enjoy her friendships and her youth.

-//-  
After twelve months, the infant Kraken had become so enormous that her new enclosure was an entire undersea cavern. And she was no longer clear and fragile-looking, but a vivid silvery-green in hue with tentacles thicker and more muscular than Ursula’s own.

She could turn bright red with rage, and deep blue when she was ravenously hungry. Flotsam and Jetsam, however, had learned to avoid her grasping suckered limbs before she even came close to turning either shade. The only thing more fearsome and intense than the beast’s ravenous appetite was her jealousy of the eels and her devotion to Ursula, who she seemed to think of as her mother.

An attitude which Ursula was happy to encourage.

“That’s my good girl!” Ursula crooned on the day when the Kraken had grown sufficiently huge as to be able to consume an entire large shark in a single gulp. “Soon you’ll be big enough to be set loose. You’ll wreak such havoc upon the humans and their ships, and through you I will soon have absolute power, not only over the sea, but the land as well! I shall be invincible!”

A gigantic tentacle tip reached out to gently caress Ursula’s face as the entire ocean seemed to echo with the sea-witch’s maniacal laughter.


End file.
